First Time Using a D-SLR (D40x)

Carlwill · Mar 24, 2008

So I ended up getting a Nikon D40x and yes you can go ahead and start rolling your eyes now... I know nothing about using this camera. I will be the 1st to admit that I thought buying a better camera means better images which I now realize is dumb. I only know how to turn this thing on and shoot it in general (green dial) mode. I know thing about ISO levels or anything of this nature but am looking to learn. I want to shoot this camera this weekend at a local show my friend is performing at (rock concert). My question is I only have the pop up flash, 18-135 lens Nikkor lens, and nothing else. Is it even worth it for me to take this camera? I don't know the 1st thing about shooting it in low light / indoor situations.

Any recommendations as far as settings and what not?

Sw1tchFX · Mar 24, 2008

ISO 3200, f/3.5 is where you need to be.

Your manual tells you how to do it, shoot in aperture priority.

RKW3 · Mar 24, 2008

Try picking up a 50mm 1.8, it's inexpensive and great in low light.

JimmyO · Mar 25, 2008

Be aware that if you buy a lens for this camera it must be either nikkor and be labeled AF-S, or be sigma and be labeled HSM if you want it to auto focus.

If you think you will do more low light shotting but you will be close to subject look at something like this

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sigma-30mm-F1-4...yZ141509QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

But if you will be far away look for one of these

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sigma-150mm-F2-...yZ141509QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sigma-APO-70-20...yZ152380QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

But if your low light shooting will be limited to this one time, keep your ISO to the HI 1 setting and set the aperture to f/3.5. If you are within 75 feet you might find the flash to help a little bit.

TamiyaGuy · Mar 25, 2008

Yes, the 18-135 will do you fine. Before you go shooting, though, you'll need to set the ISO setting

Basically, you go into the Shooting Options screen (by pressing the + key), scroll down to "ISO", and set it to either Hi1 or 1600. Hi1 will allow you to get faster shutter speeds, for the price of image quality (noise). Likewise, ISO 1600 images will look better, but you will need to use a slower shutter speed for a good image. This is true for all ISO settings.

Another thing to keep in mind is that in an ideal situation, the shutter speed should be 1.5X the lens length. (e.g. if your lens was at 100mm, you would need a shutter speed of 1/150s). You'll probably need to set the shutter speed a bit higher because you'll have moving subjects.

Also, put the camera into Aperture Priority mode (A on the dial) and scroll the wheel left until it won't go any further (the F number should be between 3.5 and 5.6 depending on the zoom level)

I hope that's covered all that needs to be covered at the moment. Have fun!

Mav · Mar 25, 2008

For operating the camera, click the DSLR cameras and lenses 101 link in my sig. It's geared for Canonites, but the operational principles are exactly the same. Tv = Shutter priority, Av = Aperture priority. There's also a bunch of good links in the Understanding Exposure link. For concert shots you'll need either a very fast lens, or the ability to use a flash. The $100 50mm f/1.8 is a great starter fast prime lens, although you'll have to manually focus on the D40/D40x/D60 cameras due to lack of AF-S (internal motor on the lens, since these bodies don't have one themselves)